3.5. CTRP9 Inhibits ox-LDL-Induced mtROS Accumulation by
Regulating Antioxidant Enzyme Expression
To explore the mechanism by which CTRP9 alleviates ox-LDL-induced
VSMC-derived foam cell necroptosis, we detected the changes in mtROS and
ΔΨm in each treatment group. VSMC-derived foam cells were either left
untreated or treated with 10 μg/mL ox-LDL in the presence of different
concentrations of CTRP9. The results revealed that CTRP9 inhibited
ox-LDL-induced production of mtROS and loss of ΔΨm in a dose-dependent
manner (Fig. 5a and b). To elucidate the mechanism by which CTRP9
inhibits ox-LDL-induced necroptosis of VSMC-derived foam cells, we
measured the level of antioxidant enzymes using western blotting.
Interestingly, ox-LDL increased the expression of some antioxidant
enzymes, such as Foxo3, HO1, SOD2, and NQO1, and pretreatment with CTRP9
increased the expression of these proteins to a higher degree than that
in the ox-LDL-only group (Fig. 5c and d).